Evan Turner Impressive in Africa Game

Evan Turner was the Boston Celtics‘ starting shooting guard for a large portion of last season but that position now has the most competition on the team. The Celtics have 7 different guards who may realistically have a large role on the rotation and while Marcus Smart will be the starting point guard any number of players could be the starting shooting guard.

Mar 16, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart (36) is guarded by Philadelphia 76ers point guard Isaiah Canaan (0) during the third quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Turner also has the ability to switch over the the small forward position, providing some much needed depth behind Jae Crowder. Either way, Turner is one of the many guards that can have some assurance that he will be playing next year. Stevens ran a lot of the offense through Turner and it is hard to imagine Stevens disregarding him after how much was invested in him last season.

Turner had his ups and downs but when he played his best the Celtics were at their best and after a strong showing in the Africa game, Celtics fans can start to get excited for Turner.

The Africa league means almost nothing but with him not playing in the summer league, Turner took advantage of one of his only opportunities to show case what he is capable of in a live action game. The results of this game alone will likely change very little for Turner but it is a sign that he is remaining focused this offseason and will remain a crucial part of the offense.

Evan Turner looked similar to the way he did when he was at his best last season. Turner was the team leader in triple doubles and he approached that mark with 14 points 8 assists and 7 rebounds in the Africa game.

The Celtics have a lot more offensive help with the additions of David Lee and Amir Johnson and that will take a lot of scoring pressure off of Turner. When that extra pressure is taken off, Turner can avoid resorting to isolation basketball and can become more of a distributor.

Turner can do a bit of everything for the Celtics but he runs into trouble when he tries to do too much of any one thing. Turner has the talent and physicality to be a top player on the Celtics and his performance in the Africa game is a good sign that he can remain a distributor.

Turner was playing with a lot of talent in the Africa game and he did a great job of bringing that talent out. Turner can make his teammates better but that is only when he is trying to get them involved.

Turner will have a tougher fight for minutes this season but his style of play and mentality in the Africa game is exactly what the Celtics will need from him. If Turner is able to bring that hustle and pass first mentality to Boston then there is no doubting that he will be a huge part of the rotation.

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